Criteria-based ranking (CBR): A comprehensive process for selecting and prioritizing monitoring indicators

Resources allocated to water management often fluctuate. As a result, the types and number of parameters (e.g., indicators for ecosystem health) being measured, in monitoring programs, are frequently reassessed according to management (or political) priorities, limits on budgets, and availability of human resources. The periodic need to refocus monitoring, conflicts with the need to maintain consistent, long-term indicators that are used to demonstrate changes to ecosystem health, or define abnormal indicator measures. Conventional approaches are subjective, time-consuming, and non-standardized. This research developed and tested whether a new approach would reduce time and cost, while increasing objectivity and monitoring adaptability (to fluctuating resources). This project was funded by the Canadian Water Network, but the data collected will also support the research objectives of the project titled 'Lake Futures: Enhancing Adaptive Capacity and Resilience of Lakes and Their Watersheds: Work Package 3'. Lake Futures is a Pillar 3 project under the Global Water Futures Program funded by Canada First Research Excellence Fund